1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new and improved spout fitment and plug for closing the same. More particularly the invention relates to a fitment which fits around a hole in a panel of a paperboard carton or around a hole in a flexible container, or the like, such as used for packaging liquid products and powders and to a closure for such fitment.
2. Description of Related Art
A typical prior art fitment and cap is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings and is discussed in the preferred embodiments portion of this specification. Generally speaking, prior fitments have spouts with external threads closed by caps with internal threads. Some fitments are used in conjunction with plastic bag containers, the fitment being integrally welded to the plastic bag. Other prior art fitments are attached to a polymer-coated paperboard container such as a gable-topped half-gallon container. Generally, prior art fitments for paperboard cartons include a thin flange which is welded to the surface of the container. The closure includes a foil seal which seals the mouth of the spout and a liner for the cap which serves a resealing function. Attachment to the polymer-coated paperboard is accomplished by welding the flange of the spout to the polymer coating. Upon initial removal, the tamper-evident foil seal is removed and discarded.
Fitments of the prior art have a number of deficiencies as compared with the present invention. In the first place, they employ multiple components which increase the cost of the combination very greatly over the simple structure of the present invention. Secondly, assembly is difficult and involves rotary equipment which is difficult to control in practice and is expensive to install. Thirdly, because of the fact that the prior art spouts are externally threaded, the diameter of the opening in the spout is restricted inasmuch as there is only limited space on the panel of the container on which the flange can be located, thereby reducing the diameter of the fitment flange and correspondingly the diameter of the spout. Finally, commercially available fitment-closure combinations have no external tamper-evident features (as contrasted with the internal foil seal of the spout opening).